Preps reporter

Every Thursday, Commerce is heading to 7-on-7s, but don’t expect to seem much passing from the Tigers this fall.

“If we passed the ball 10 times a game, half of Commerce would probably faint,” Commerce coach Michael Brown said. “We’re just looking to execute what little passing game we have.”

Instead, Brown and the rest of Commerce’s coaching staff are using the weekly outings to evaluate personnel and tweak defensive schemes.

“We try not to make too much of it because it’s not what we do offensively,” Brown said. “I think with 7-on-7s, they can give you a false sense of security. We go out there and try to compete, try to go hard and execute what we do.”

Brown’s kept a close eye on the progress of Commerce’s offensive line this season, which lost a handful of three- and four-year starters.

“We feel like the success of our team every year really rests on that line of scrimmage, but this year we’ve got to find some linemen to step up,” said Brown, who was an all-state offensive lineman for the Tigers. “If we can do that, then we feel like we might have the chance to do something.”

Last season, which was Brown’s first as head coach, the Tigers finished 7-4 overall and 5-1 in Region 8-A. They reached the first round of the state playoffs, where they fell to eventual state runner-up Charlton County 35-21.

“We won’t be the same as we were last year,” Brown said. “Sometimes it takes three or four games into the season to figure out what you are. We’ve got some things that we’re looking at that we didn’t do last year and we’ve got some things last year that we won’t do this year. It’s never static. It’s always evolving.”

Commerce opens its season against visiting Banks County at 8 p.m. Aug. 29.